


Not So Platonic Feelings

by hope27



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-24 07:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/936805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope27/pseuds/hope27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity has a horrible migraine, Oliver knows how to help.  But will he be able to keep his feelings in check?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not So Platonic Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little ficlet. Inspiration hit hard and it demanded to be written even though I've been exhausted this week. I do hope you enjoy! As always feedback is always appreciated! :)

Oliver quickly descended the steps into the basement, unbuttoning his suit jacket and loosening his tie as he went. Quickly punching in the code for the secret door, it slid open to reveal the Foundry. He heard the distant hum of the servers and smiled knowing Felicity would be here and was probably already halfway through the searches he’d asked her to run on their suspect in the latest string of robberies to hit the Glades.

Shrugging off his jacket, he slung it over the table as he headed toward the bank of computers, glimpsing a flash of blonde hair. Rolling up the sleeves on his shirt and finishing the removal of his tie, he called out to the woman who had become not only an integral part of his team but also his life.

“Felicity, what do you have?” he asked, his tone lighter than usual, so thankful to be out of the board room. 

After being in meetings all day, it was a relief to finally be back in the familiarity of the Foundry. This was where he felt the most normal - the most at home. Turning to his worktable, he waited for her response.

He instantly tensed at the soft groan she let out before answering. “Besides a pounding headache and no caffeine, I haven’t got anything, yet.” Her voice was hoarse and weak as if talking took too much effort.

Oliver immediately stopped his inspection of the new arrows he’d forged last night and spun around to take a good look at Felicity. He frowned, concern blossoming in his chest, when he saw her slumped at her desk with her head in her arms.

Quickly, crossing the space between them, he knelt down and pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk where they kept the over-the-counter medicines. While he usually refused to use them, he knew both Felicity and Diggle often appreciated some pain relief after a grueling workout. Pulling out the Excedrin, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge next to it and set them both on the desk next to her arm.

“Here,” he said softly, nudging her shoulder with one hand, gently stroking his fingers over her thin blouse, “take these.”

Slowly, she lifted her head and squinted up at him and then to the bottles sitting by his hand. Her eyes blinked blearily at the medicine for a moment before she reached and unscrewed the cap. Popping two pills into her mouth, she quickly downed half of the water, screwing her eyes shut as if mentally willing herself to instantly feel better.

Oliver didn’t like to see her like this - the light in her normally bright blue eyes dimmed by pain. She squinted up at him again, blinking rapidly as the florescent lights made contact with her eyes. Realizing the overhead lights were causing her discomfort, Oliver strode over towards the door and flicked the switch, instantly bathing the room in darkness, leaving only the glow from the computer monitors and a few auxiliary lights to illuminate the room.

“Thank you,” he heard her mumble and returned to her side, once more crouching down at her side.

“Felicity, you should rest,” he told her softly, gripping the edge of her chair and the side of her desk to keep from reaching out to her again. Touching her was becoming increasingly more dangerous as he was quickly finding out he didn’t usually want to stop once he started. “This can wait,” he told her, knowing she wouldn’t stop until the job was done, but refusing to let her suffer.

Her stubbornness reared it’s head as she shook her head firmly, “No, the searches are almost done. I just needed to rest my eyes for a minute...or ten...”

He cocked an eyebrow at her and pinned her with a knowing look when she glanced up at him, her head turned to the side on her arms. Her glasses skewed on her nose, he smiled softly at her, and she rolled her eyes at his look.

She peered at the computer screen once more and then shut her eyes tight, letting out a tiny groan of discomfort. “Everything is still blurring together. Stupid headache.”

Her hands went to her temples and started massaging the skin there, trying to alleviate the pain. Oliver’s hands itched to reach out and help her. Shado had taught him certain techniques to help relieve pain; certain areas at which to apply pressure and how to knead muscles into relaxing. He considered his actions only momentarily before standing and moving his hands to her tense shoulders.

“Do you trust me?” His voice was lower than he intended it to be and he swallowed to get his emotions under control. 

Touching Felicity was always risky. His feelings for her were so close to the surface these days. Years of working with her had pulled them up from where they’d been hiding deep within his heart. He quickly came to realize he was going to have to face them sooner or later.

The heat of her skin soaked through her blouse and his fingers flexed against her when he felt her shiver beneath his touch.

She peered at him over her shoulder with an unimpressed look at his question. “You should know that answer by now, Oliver Queen,” she stated with a hint of sarcasm, but her usual spark was lacking, dulled by the pain she felt. Instead, her voice sounded weary and he immediately stepped closer to her, wanting to wrap her up and take away the everything that weighed her down. 

His lips twitched upward in a silent apology, and then squeezed her shoulders. “I think I can help ease some of the pain,” he explained easily, and she nodded minutely, careful not to move her head too much.

“Please.” The word fell from her lips so quickly and quietly and with such desperation his heart leapt in his chest.

Leaning down, he whispered softly in her ear. “Just relax.”

Ever so slowly, Oliver kneaded his fingers against her skin, and watched in awe as her head fell back, muscles going slack, mouth opening in a silent sigh. 

A quick, sharp jab of desire shot through him and he had to restrain himself from bending down and closing his mouth over hers; tasting her for the first time.

Breathing deeply, he steeled his nerves and focused on his fingers, moving them up the line of her neck and into her hair. Finding her usual tight ponytail an obstruction, he slid two fingers under the band and pulled it gently out of her hair. Another sigh escaped Felicity’s lips as his hands delved into her thick golden curls. His strong fingers massaged her scalp with firm but tender strokes. 

Oliver watched captivated by her as he worked out the tension from her shoulders and neck. He marveled at the way her silky hair slipped over his fingers, curling around them with ease. A few strands tangled around his thumb and he had a flash to that happening during very different circumstances involving a lot less clothes and his bed.

As he moved to her temples, she leaned back even farther so that her head was now resting against his stomach - those muscles taught with wanting and desire.

He lessened the pressure slightly, trying to disentangle some of the strands that were winding tightly around his fingers when she let out a breath, her hand coming up to lock onto his wrist.

“No,” she moaned, “Don’t stop.”

Her words stilled him, every neuron in his body firing at once and he felt the thin thread of his control snap. It was time to play his cards. He needed her to know.

Bending down so his head was once more next to her ear, he huskily whispered against her flesh. “I always imagined you saying that under very different circumstances.”

He watched in delight and amusement as her eyes popped open and she sucked in a deep breath. A thrill ran through him at the sight of her pupils blown wide with desire of her own as she gaze up at him.

“Wh...” her words were breathless, and he watched as she opened and closed her mouth with no more sound coming out. He let the words hang between them, keeping his eyes locked with hers. His fingers ran in soft circles at her hair line. Her brow furrowed in confusion, gaze still clouded with pain tinged with desire. 

“Very platonic circumstances,” he couldn’t resist teasing, a gentle reminder of her words to him so long ago in an elevator shaft. “Of course.”

Her eyes slammed shut and she inhaled sharply, but still she said nothing. He could see her brain trying to process everything; internally debating with herself whether he was playing with her or meant the words he’d just spoken.

Oliver kept his hands in her hair, his fingers rubbing soft circles into her scalp. Moving his mouth to her ear once more, he murmured softly. “Better?”

He watched her body tense as his breath hit her skin, and he could almost feel the thrumming of her heart beneath him. Everything in him wanted to close the distance and touch her skin with his lips, but he restrained himself, knowing this wasn’t the time. She needed to digest this information - form her own decision about it. Taking their relationship to the next level meant a lot of changes, but they were changes that he found himself desperately wanting to make. 

She made him happy - happier than anyone. She was the first person he thought of in the morning and the last person on his mind as he drifted of to sleep at night or sometimes early morning depending on the night. She stood by him through thick and thin and had always had his back. Her smile was one of the brightest parts of his life and he knew he didn’t want to lose that - or her. Somewhere a long the line, he’d fallen for her. He just had to see if she was ready - if he was still just a crush for her or something more because he wanted that something more, and although he had suspicions that his feelings weren’t one-sided, he had to make sure. 

She nodded in response to his question and he then pried his hands away from her and spun her chair around gently. 

Her eyes were wide when they met his and he could see the questions spinning in her head. 

“Come on,” he whispered, holding out his hand. “You need to rest.”

Even though the confusion was still present in her eyes, she took his hand and he squeezed it gently as he helped her out of the seat. Her free hand immediately went to her forehead, rubbing at it, and he knew the change from sitting to standing had caused a spike in pain.

He steadied her with a hand against her back and waited until she opened her eyes again to move.

When she was settled on the couch, he draped the blanket he’d grabbed from the nearby table over her and kneeled down next to her head. Her eyes were already shut, but he knew she wasn’t yet asleep.

Bringing a hand to her face, he gently brushed back a few stray strands of hair before leaning in an pressing a soft kiss against her forehead.

He heard her sharp intake of breath and looked at her when he moved back, her eyes open and trained on him.

“Sleep, Felicity,” he murmured, moving his hand to her cheek and rubbing his thumb over the smooth skin softly. 

Her eyes fluttered closed and he waited until he could tell her breathing had evened out before returning to the computer desk and sitting down in the chair she’d just vacated. His mind whirled with questions, but he didn’t regret his decision. Now, he would just have to see how she reacted once she was feeling better.

***

Felicity slept through the night, and Oliver stayed at the Foundry, eventually allowing himself to plant himself at the end of the couch, her feet on his lap as he let sleep overtake him. He set his alarm to allow enough time for Felicity to change and shower before work. She had long ago started keeping a spare set of work clothes at the Foundry for times when they worked most of the night away. 

When the alarm went off, they both woke, Oliver first as Felicity shifted in her sleep, blinding reaching out with a hand to shut off her non-existent bedside alarm.

She woke with a start after realizing she wasn’t hitting anything, and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Once she’d placed herself, she found Oliver’s gaze as he scooted closer to her, shifting her legs to his lap.

“How’s the head?” he asked smiling as he watched a sleepy Felicity blink up at him in slight confusion.

She frowned as if thinking and internally checking before sighing and smiling. “Much better.”

Her eyes were less dull and that familiar spark was back. His hand squeezed her knee through the blanket and she glanced down as if noticing their position for the first time. She quickly swung her legs down from his lap, and he didn’t miss the slight blush that formed on her cheeks - one of the most endearing things he loved about her. He coudls still make her blush. Quickly standing, he reached out a hand to help her stand and then watching as she quickly grabbed her overnight bag from under the desk and ran off to the shower.

Oliver wondered briefly if she even remembered what he’d said last night. Or perhaps, she’d just wrote it off as him playing with her - teasing her about her crush. There was a chance she wouldn’t even bring it up. He frowned at that thought.

When she returned to the room, she was dressed in a bright fuchsia blouse and black pencil skirt that clung to her curves. Black pumps completed her outfit, and he noticed today, she left her hair down around her shoulders. 

Glancing around, she furrowed her brow as she searched the desk and then her bag.

“What are you looking for?” he asked, standing up to help.

“My glasses, I know I took them off when my head hurt, but I can’t remember where I put them...” She muttered continuing her search.

Oliver spotted them tucked behind the keyboard, grabbing them and handing them to her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, almost jumping when their fingers brushed.

Oliver smiled. She did remember.

“Well, I guess I better get to work. Don’t want to be late...even if I did spend the night with the boss...” Oliver raised his eyebrows as her cheeks heated once she realized what she’d said. “I mean...not that we...you know...I mean, not that it couldn’t happen, but it didn’t, and...I’m just going to go,” she finished quickly and almost darted to the door.

Oliver watched her go with amusement but also a trace of disappointment. Her hand was poised to punch in the door code when she stopped, her shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath.

Her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear her when she spoke. “Did you mean it?”

Oliver felt his heart flip inside his chest and he clenched his fists to keep from running to her.

“Mean what?” he asked, his voice intentionally low and soft.

“What you said...about me saying that under different circumstances...or were you just teasing me,” she asked, a tremor of trepidation in her voice.

Oliver silently crossed the room so he was standing inches behind her. He saw her body shiver and knew she could feel his proximity.

Reaching up, he brushed her hair to the side, exposing one side of her slender neck. His fingers traced down the soft skin and he watched in fascination as her head dropped and soft moan escaped her lips.

That sound had him breaching the remaining distance between them so his front was pressed against her back. One arm banded about her waist and she keened against him, his hand traveling down her arm to lace with her fingers as he placed a soft kiss to her exposed neck.

She sucked in a sharp breath and released a breathless, “Oliver?”

“I meant it,” he finally whispered against her skin. “All of it.”

And suddenly she was turning in his arms, her hands pressing against his chest as she locked eyes with him. His heart pounded in his chest at the look she shared with him - hope, relief, longing, desire, and love stared back at him and took his very breath away.

He pulled her to him, his lips crashing against hers and she groaned as he nipped her bottom lip and then pulled back to look at her again. She smiled softly up at him and he returned it before she leaned back into him and covered his mouth again. Sighing into his kiss, he ran his tongue along her lips and she allowed him to deepen the kiss, his hands roving up and down her back and then into her long golden tresses, desperate to feel as much of her as possible. He’d waited so long for this - buried his feeling so deep he thought they’d never resurface. But he was wrong. He couldn’t ignore feelings this strong. 

Felicity Smoak had his heart. His feelings were in no way platonic.


End file.
